Ye Olde Titans
by Silently Watches
Summary: In one reality, the Titans protected Jump City in the 21st century. But if small changes can create enormous and unpredictable consequences, what would a LARGE change cause? Teaser, one-shot, medieval AU


**This is a bit of a teaser for a plot bunny that's been bouncing around like crazy in my head for a good while now. As mentioned above, it's a medieval/high fantasy AU, inspired to some degree by namaara's ****_The Ravens of Avalon_**** and a now-vanished fic by LilithRyoka. This one-shot is mostly to introduce the main characters and setting and see if anyone would be interested in reading a full story.**

**Disclaimer:** Was Cyborg the only Titan to get the _'pleasure'_ of traveling to the distant past? If so, I don't own the Teen Titans franchise; it belongs to Glen Murakami, DC Entertainment, and Warner Bros.

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><p>"Dude, are we <em>there<em> yet?"

"You asked that question five minutes ago, and five minutes before _that_," Robin grunted, turning to the younger man. "And guess what? The answer is _still_ no. If you want to see how much farther we have to go, why don't you fly up and check it out yourself?"

With a tremendous huff, Garfield, aptly nicknamed Beast Boy, flopped down on a rocky outcropping, his dark brown tunic and breeches flapping loudly. "Not all fliers are created equal, man. Starfire can get by on _'unbridled joy'_, but me? I gotta use my own two arms."

"Quit your belly-achin'." A heavy iron glove grabbed the green shapeshifter to toss him over one broad shoulder. Victor – or Cyborg, as some of Jump City's guard had taken to calling him – raised his other hand to shield his right, normal eye from the sun's glare. The polished ruby that stood in place of the opposite eye merely darkened a few shades. "Besides, I doubt we've got much farther to go."

"Let's find out." Robin slipped out of the tree line and into the enormous, bare valley that marred the middle of the forest. Fallen trees were strewn about the upturned ground, and many still bore green leaves; this devastation was a recent development. Looking about at the clearing for another moment, he whistled shrilly.

At the signal, the last member of their squad descended from the clear blue sky. Starfire was the least protected of all of them, wearing not leather armor like Robin or even layers of cloth like Beast Boy but merely a cropped blouse and short skirt, both dyed a royal purple; in addition to providing negligible defense to sword or arrow, the outfit was considered borderline improper even in the infamously permissive Jump City. Time and time again, Robin had tried to convince her to don something more appropriate, until finally he dropped the argument. When she set her mind on something, the boys had found, their was no moving her.

Of course, his case had not been helped by the fact that the foreign fighter's skin was just as tough as it was orange.

Averting his gaze so he would not catch an accidental eyeful as the skirt fluttered in her self-made breeze, the young knight asked, "How close are we?"

"Just over the next rise, but the sun is setting soon. Will we attack today, or stop for the night and continue our next journey in the morning?"

"We're too close to stop now," he replied, checking the height of the sun from the horizon. _An hour till dusk, and it will take us at least that long to get there unless we really hurry_. "And I don't mean just that I want this done sooner rather than later, though that _is_ true. The sorceress we're hunting is said to be more active at night, so if we make camp here, we run too great a risk that she'll notice our presence and send out her familiars."

"On the other hand, if we keep going, she's _definitely_ going to spot us," Victor pointed out.

"True, but would you rather be awake and alert when she finds out we're here or sound asleep?" No one had anything to say to that. It was a bad situation all around, but if a fight with the sorceress's familiars – at the very least – was inevitable, the lesser of the two dangers was to provoke it sooner rather than later.

If nothing else, the fight would then be on _their_ terms.

Plans made, the rest of the team scooted back to the tree line for a short break before the final rush. A low rumble of metal scraping against itself, thankfully too quiet to be heard across the artificial valley, signaled the plates of Victor's armor folding in and away to reveal the pitch-black rock that made up the majority of his body, bright blue cracks running along the surface glowing brighter as he absorbed the last rays of available sunlight, topping off the power cell he needed to stay mobile and alive. He had lost over half of his body to the same monster attack that destroyed his village and killed everyone there, and it was only the quick actions of his father, noted alchemist Silas Stone, that had allowed him to survive at all.

Starfire settled next to the augmented man, and while the pair were chatting, Robin sidled over to Garfield. "Are your instincts telling you anything?"

"Other than this is a _bad_ idea?" The young warrior shook his head. "Nothing useful."

Robin sighed; Garfield had a powerful but primitive form of clairvoyance, the ability given to him by the same fae who granted him his shapeshifting. When it was working at its full strength, he could warn the team of a variety of dangers coming after them, but to their great regret, those times were few and far between. Most of the time, all he was left with were general impressions.

"Robin, can I ask a question? Why are we even doing this in the first place? Dealing with sorcerers is the Temples' job; we're supposed to protect Jump City."

"That doesn't mean we can just say _'no'_ when the head priest of the Temple of Cernunnos comes up to us and asks us to do something for him. I, at least, have an obligation to serve the gods faithfully," Robin replied with a shrug.

"Dude, don't pull that _'pious knight'_ stuff on me," Garfield shot back. "We both know you don't care one bit about the Divines, Cernunnos or any other. What's the _real_ reason?"

He sighed softly. Sorcerers and sorceresses were all born human, but at some point in their lives they rejected the Divines and instead formed contracts with demons in return for otherworldly powers. Personally, he did not blame them for their religious choices, and he was sure he was neither the first nor the last to notice that the Temples' magi had powers not dissimilar to those of the sorcerers, but there was still one _very_ large problem, the whole reason they were so feared throughout the country.

All the sorcerers he had ever heard of were _completely insane_.

"She isn't just causing a fit within the Temples; she's also kidnapping children from their beds at night. No one knows what she's doing with them, but it's probably nothing good." Garfield gulped at that. "Yeah, that was my thought, too. Worse, her attacks are reaching farther and farther east. She's headed to Jump."

"Oh. Yeah, that's… But still, why are we doing the holy knights' jobs?!" the green hero demanded.

"All the head priest said was that his Temple's Sanctae had been called elsewhere. Now you know as much about this as I do. Happy?"

"No, not really, but I guess it doesn't matter, huh? It's just… I overheard in the last village we were at that she could create tornados and—" Cutting himself off, Garfield cocked his head. "Hey, Robin? Do you hear something?"

The masked Titan listened carefully. "I think so. It sounds like… wings?" His eyes widened, and he slung his oaken staff off his back. "Vic, Star! We've got incoming!"

"_Dude_!" Garfield protested the minute their foes became visible over the treetops. "When were you gonna tell us she had _winged monkeys_?!"

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><p>Peering out the curtained window, Jinx hissed to the boys behind her, "Hey, what's taking so long? We don't have all night!"<p>

"Says the girl not doing any of the work!" Gizmo sniped back. The tiny thief huffed for a few moments before pulling the tapestry the rest of the way into his mechanized cart. "Why the frack are we stealing a pig-scummed carpet in the first place when we should just grab the gold and jewels?!"

"Uh, because that's what our client _hired us to take_?" She shook her head at her companion's foolishness. _And he wonders why I refuse to join the Hive Gang and instead just run occasional jobs with them. Sometimes I think he _**_wants_**_ to go back to picking pockets or petty shit like that_.

Mammoth chose that moment to chime in, "Can I get a hand or somethin'?", before jerking his head at the life-sized statue of Brigit. "This much gold'll keep us fed for weeks."

"It's brass, you dumb-ass," she sighed before waving her hand. A bolt of bright pink lightning zapped the idol, and the next wrench of Mammoth's giant hands caused the metal to buckle and break, chunks falling to clang on the floor. "There. Just grab a few pieces, and then let's get the hell out of here."

The doors to the temple's sanctuary slammed open, and the newest member of Gizmo's crew – Witty? Wicked? Something like that – ran in and started waving his hands wildly. Jinx stared speechlessly at him for a moment before asking the room at large, "Anyone know what _his_ problem is?"

"Whoa, whoa! Wykkyd, slow down! What's the deal?!"

At Gizmo's question – one Wykkyd apparently thought quite stupid, if the palm hitting his full-faced mask was any indication – the recent hire jabbed a gloved finger back the way he had just come.

"Guards? The guards are coming?" Wykkyd gave an emphatic nod, and the miniature criminal raced back toward his cart. "Okay, people, pack your slop up! We gotta move and fast! Seemore, you're on watch!"

All five of them moved quickly but calmly, well used to both Gizmo's _eclectic_ swearing as well as his penchant for panicking. Jinx dropped onto the bench next to Seemore and pulled a short dagger from her boot that she then waved in the other criminal's face. "That eye goes anywhere I don't want it, I'll carve it out. Get me?"

The cyclops nodded hurriedly and averted his single, giant eye, the iris swiftly changing colors as he cycled through various sights. She did not _know_ that he was a pervert, but after a casual mention on Mammoth's part that he _could_ see through clothes, she wasn't taking any chances.

The old bloodstains visible on the gleaming blade as she slid it back in the sheath proved the need for that caution.

Gizmo twisted a steel key as large as his own hand next to the steering wheel, and with a low rumble, the clockwork cart came to life. The few gears visible on the dashboard began turning, and everyone could feel innumerable more spinning faster and faster underneath their seats. The vehicle lurched forward once, twice, and then it started rolling smoothly along the polished wood floors. "Seemore!" he yelled. "How close are they?"

"Uh…" A squad of half a dozen armed and armored guards stormed into the room behind them. "Pretty close."

"Dammit, See, I said _watch_! What part of _this_ is watching?!"

"You said _watch_, not watch _and report_!"

Jinx tugged the hood of her cloak down to cover her pink hair, hiding her face in the process. _…And _**_this_**_ is why I only work with them every couple of months_.

A growl prefaced Gizmo yanking on a few levers, and the cart sped up from the walking pace it had been going to a horse's fast trot. One of the guards drew his bow, but before he could notch an arrow, Wykkyd pulled up the bottom of his mask to reveal a snaggletoothed maw and screamed. The sound made Jinx's ears ring painfully, and the men chasing them all fell to the ground to vomit their guts out.

Everyone in the cart was quiet while Wykkyd retook his seat, and then Mammoth leaned over toward her. "That's why he doesn't talk."

"Yeah, I figured that bit out for myself," she muttered with an exasperated eye-roll.

"With the way our luck's going tonight, I wouldn't be surprised— Nope, still good!" Gizmo cheered, steering the cart into the courtyard and toward the gate standing wide open. "Seemore, once we're outside, jump down and close it."

"Why do _I_ gotta do it?" the cyclops whined.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because _that's all I know you're good for_?!" the tiny engineer shrieked, spittle flying from his mouth. "Keep arguing, and I'll rethink picking you back up when you're done!" They rolled through the heavy iron gates, and Gizmo at least slowed the vehicle down to its lowest setting while Seemore was on the ground before speeding back up.

Now that they had escaped the temple itself, the rest of the journey was both easier and harder. All they had to contend with now was the city guard, but when it came to Jump City, that was not exactly a simple task.

Thankfully, Gizmo had a plan for that, too. He directed the clockwork buggy to a nearby pier sticking into the Franciscan River, the natural boundary between the rich half of the city and the slums, but instead of driving onto the wood he shot past it. They rolled forward until the vehicle lost all traction on the river bed, the air-filled canvas bags dangling from the sides causing them to float, and then a few more levers and switches made the cart shake a bit before it powered quietly through the water.

_But this is why I do things with this bunch at all_, Jinx thought as she leaned back on the bench, a satisfied smile sitting proudly on her lips. _They don't have the common sense of a toddler split between 'em, but damn if they aren't good at what they _**_can_**_ do_.

The cart-turned-boat pulled to a stop next to the pair of columns that supported the middle of the bridge spanning the river. "Okay, we'll wait here for a couple hours; there's no way they'll think we would **ever** stick around, so they won't look close to home. After that, we all split up—"

"Shh!" Mammoth cautioned, pointing one enormous finger at the bridge overhead.

The steady clopping of horses' hooves arose from both sides of the bridge to meet in the middle. A woman's voice then cut through the silence. "I wasn't expecting you to come personally, Captain. The front guards at the Temple of Brigit said they heard a noise coming from the back, and then a scream or something. The six who investigated the sound were found incapacitated."

"It has not been very long," answered a man, and Jinx shuddered at the cold, deep tone. She had hoped half-heartedly that the woman's choice of address was somehow directed at someone, _anyone_ other than _the_ captain of the Jump City Guard. That man was _not_ known for being kind or understanding to thieves. "They cannot have gotten far. Did you get a description of the criminal or criminals?"

"Yes, sir, from the downed guards."

"Good. Spread it through the ranks. Anyone you see whom you think might fit, detain them. Go."

The city guard left the bridge, and they let out a collective breath. Just after that, _another_ horse walked away above them, and the Captain took a left turn, heading away from the temple. That choice of direction gave them the perfect angle to see the light of his torch glinting off his black and orange armor before he finally moved out of sight.

"That was close. Way _too_ close," Jinx sighed. "Giz, can we skip the waiting part and just get out of here?"

After a moment, Gizmo shook himself from his own thoughts and nodded. "Yeah. We better go. I do _not_ want to get caught tonight."

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><p>Wilhelm of Phoresa, magus of Cernunnos, turned to the man beside him. "Break it down."<p>

"As you command, Astralus. Bring down the door!" The assembled ranks of the Sanctae, twenty men strong, all reached down to lift the large battering ram that lay at their feet. "Hit!"

The assembled holy knights, their white and gold armor gleaming int the torchlight, marched forward as one and slammed the pointed end of the ram into the tall wooden doors. The barrier shook, but did not fall.

"Again!" their commander roared. Another impact, but still the doors held. "Again!"

_Click_.

The twin doors creaked open of their own volition, and the magus and commander shared a suspicious look before their force marched inside. Wilhelm held his left wrist aloft, the torc that was the symbol of his faith glowing brightly and dispelling the oppressive darkness that threatened to engulf them. "Sorceress!" he bellowed. "We, the Order of Cernunnos, are here with a Writ of Apprehension! You are hereby charged with heresy, worship of a false god, and consorting with demons! Come with us peacefully, and you will be given the chance to speak in your own defense!"

"How generous." The flat voice echoed around the room, and across from them, the shadows slipped away to reveal the sorceress they sought. They could not take note of any details, however; an all-encompassing cloak billowed around her, and inside the depths of her hood, all they could make out were her eyes. The Sanctae leveled their silver spears at her, but if she deigned to notice, it was not reflected in her response. "May I ask what will happen if I do _not_ surrender?"

The magus withdrew a second roll of paper from his pocket. "Should you not surrender, then in accordance with this Writ of Execution, you shall henceforth be put to death."

Shaking her head, the witch replied softly, "I would ask that you do neither. I have harmed no innocents, have broken no laws of man or king. All I have done is turn away from your gods. Why must your Orders and your Temples continue to seek conflict and bloodshed with those who bear you no ill will?"

"You may not have broken the laws of man, but you _have_ violated the decrees of the Divines, decrees not even a _king_ may ignore. Now, will you hand yourself over to face justice?" the magus demanded.

"Please, just go away. Leave me be."

"So be it." Turning to the commander, he declared, "You have your orders. Strike her down."

The sorceress closed her eyes with a sigh; the Sanctae took a step closer, and the devil-worshipper then fixed them with an evil, glowing, _red_ glare. "Very well, if you insist. Let it not be said that I didn't warn you."

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><p><strong>So, now that you've seen how I'm twisting canon, what do you think? Like it, hate it, have a suggestion? Let me know so I can decide whether to keep feeding the plot bunny or release it back into the wild.<strong>

**Silently Watches out.**


End file.
